Chapter Twenty Seven

I could hear whistling emanating from oval-shaped ball as it passed through the air. I couldn't quite follow its motion but then I had given up fifteen minutes ago, instead I was watching the people at either end. Jeremy caught the ball and a second later it was flying through the air before being caught by Tyler.

I might have been a small distance away from him, but I could see that he was more at ease than he had been early morning in the church and certainly more so than he had been in our first meeting. He moved in his usual motions, comfortable in throwing a small ball made of leather through the air towards a guy he hadn't liked before the transition. Tyler still didn't trust himself much—as I watched them I was supposed to stay a constant arm's length away—but he was at least comfortable enough that he could be a teenager, sans booze of course.

Ten minutes passed before I got bored with just watching. It must have been fun for them, at least they got to flex their muscles and test their speed. But I was just watching them, not partaking in the exhilaration or getting anything out of it—Tyler had his shirt on of all things.

I took a breath and focussed on the ball at the times I could see it. The trick to nonverbal wasn't something I couldn't explain yet, but I had started to notice that it came in times of extreme bursts of emotion. Could I actively try to control that? Or were emotions in that regard a fickle matter?

After all the emotions in the times were I had cast spells without saying them had been all over the place. If I couldn't pinpoint the particular emotion needed, then it seemed implausible I would be able to master nonverbal magic. At least I was getting better with smaller objects though.

I saw the ball as it started its downward arc and said, "Motus," before I veered the projectile right.

It swerved right as it hurtled towards Tyler but he was quickly in its path again, catching it. He spared me a quick look before he threw the ball towards Jeremy. I caught it again and swerved it again, moving it so off course that Jeremy couldn't catch it. He glared as he was forced to bend down and pick the thing up.

I noticed that the games started to progressively get faster.

There were times were the ball moved too fast for me to track it but the moment I did I couldn't catch with my spell and move swerve it off course without the ball losing momentum. Time passed and I was starting to get confident, instead of moving the ball left and right, I could upturn its trajectory so that it headed further into the air forcing either Jeremy or Tyler to jump into the air to catch it.

We continued in the exercise that should have been ridiculous and yet fun before a voice said, "While we talk about our feelings, you guys look like you're having fun. Not fair."

Jeremy and Tyler stopped and I almost let out a groan. Vicki had appeared from within the Lockwood house, something I was sure Mr Lockwood absolutely hated. I would have to build him a boundary that kept vampires out when I could handle something of that size, it had been necessity which had made him invite so many vampires into his house. That necessity had passed and any vampire who entered now would be a danger to the Lockwoods.

I might even do it for free if I was in a good mood.

Jeremy was the closest to me which meant I could see it as his expression turned dopey-eyed. Tyler sort of tensed up but that was all I could read with him at that far a distance. This would be bad with the budding relationship I was trying to set up between Tyler and Jeremy. Vicki had been a major reason the two hadn't gotten along, now they had familiar ground to start being friends but with Vicki back in the equation all that might fall apart.

"Vicki," I said. "I thought you and the girl were having a thing."

She let out a huff. "They were talking and consoling each other, lamenting about the dreariness of being a vampire. I couldn't deal with it too long. I thought I might have more fun with you guys," she said.

"More people might liven whatever this is up," said Jeremy, a grin plastered on him.

There was something I missed because Vicki moved, finding a position that made a relative square when I put myself into the picture. A game of catch begun.

The slight moment we had paused caused me to lose my momentum. I had trouble seeing and following the balls as it zipped at random between the three vampires. When I got a hold of it, noticed the place in the air the ball always passed, the game reached its vigour as the ball's motions were wilder, known only by my mind.

I liked this.

Like using my powers not in the constant need to protect myself but to have fun. There was still a lot to be worked on, I knew. My father and I hadn't talked since his death. Caroline had lost her mother and worst of all it was her fault, the constant repeat of the story surely wasn't helping her case in the slightest. Mr Fell, back to his role as reporter, was covering the story of two drifters who had, while attempting to burgle the Forbes residence, attacked and killed Sheriff Forbes.

I had to give it to the council. They certainly knew how to cover up an event. I had heard through Stefan that a cover for my grandmother's death was already being cooked up. I certainly didn't know how I felt about that, but if it kept things neatly hidden then I didn't really have a say in the matter.

The business with the boundaries was one that would have to be discussed. A project of that size wasn't something that could be taken lightly and while I had confidence in my ability with Boundary Spells, I didn't trust that I could pull something of that level off. Which made it a better idea to have another witch doing the damned things. I didn't like it though, especially when I thought about the commission I might have been able to gather from the project.

But there was still an avenue I could take, all of which depended on the calibre of witch that would be building the boundaries. I hoped she wasn't too knowledgeable or the small part I wanted would be nothing.

"Mike," I heard Jeremy said. I noticed the game had stopped and Tyler and Vicki had disappeared. "We're going inside for a drink. You wanna join?"

"Yeah. Sure." I said, getting to my feet and starting the walk to the house. "You know the Lockwoods won't like to like us pilfering their liquor stores, right?"

"Tyler's blood supply arrived this morning. Rush job since he's the most important of us. He'll let us bum some off."

"Blood supply?"

"Yeah. Every registered vampire gets a month's worth of blood from the hospital. It's part of the reason they wanted the whole registration thing in the first place."

"This was discussed after I left?" Jeremy nodded. I sighed and ran a hand over my head. "I feel like a bit of an ass for my whole outrage," I told him. But then again it was more the level of disrespect that I had been against.

"What was up with that, anyway?" asked Tyler. "Wasn't it working against what you wanted to happen?" He threw a blood bag towards Jeremy as we entered the drawing room. Jeremy didn't have much trouble in catching it.

I took a seat on a small sofa, watching as Jeremy unobtrusively sat beside Vicki. I noted Tyler's expression. He was watching the sight but he said nothing. I turned to Vicki and she looked both disappointed and content. Did she have a thing for both of them? I shook the thoughts off and thought about Tyler's question.

"The humans are being led by the Founder's council; the vampires by my dad and Stefan; and the wolves by your father; while the witches lay unrepresented. That shows an imbalance of power because when big decisions that might affect Bonnie or me, we won't have a say. Something already proven by the whole debacle out the lack of payment being discussed with the rings."

"Fifteen thousand dollars," said Vicki. "It's great to know that a long time in my immortal life will be spent working to pay you off."

"I'm not charging you interest," I said with a shrug. Jeremy snorted at that.

"What are you going to do with that kind of money anyway?" asked Tyler.

"I've got a major project I'll be slowly working towards during the first hundred years of my life, after which I'll take it worldwide."

Vicki groaned. "And here was thinking I'd be rid of you in about sixty years," she said. "Is living old a witch thing? I find I don't know much about your specie."

"First thing to know, we're insanely powerful," I said. A second hadn't passed before Vicki was in front of me, her fangs bared. It was also not a second later that she flung back into the air and slammed into a couch.

Tyler and Jeremy were on their feet, the former of whom had already moved to a position closer.

"What the hell?" I heard coming from Jeremy. I noticed I was on my feet and my heart beating fast beneath my chest. Tyler, I noticed as my eyes quickly took in the room, finding anger to shoot towards the chuckling Vicki on the other side of the room.

"Just having fun," said Vicki, mirth filling her voice as she came to a stand.

"Yeah, well. Don't," said Jeremy, exasperation in his tone. "Are you okay?" he asked me, but I was more looking at Tyler.

He stood with a rigidness within him, eyes set on me with a scowl I didn't quite like.

"Ty, are you okay?" I heard Vicki ask.

Tyler shook his head, taking a large breath and said, "Yeah. I'm fine. Good." He lost some of the rigidity, something that calmed me a little but that still wasn't much. It was for the first time that I noticed I was in a room with vampires. While it was true that I had the ability to defend myself, that ability was limited in scope; three vampires after my blood were things I couldn't hope to survive against.

"I think this would be the perfect time for me to leave," I said with a shakiness to my voice. Jeremy said something but I missed it as I felt something else; it was strange, but I could feel it the moment the thread connected to me and the moment I investigated I felt its power coursing from somewhere towards me.

Tracking spell?

I intoned the Tracking spell as I remembered it, making it parallel the thread connected towards me. It worked, but the further I went the harder it was to keep the thread filled with power.

Was the person on the other side fighting me? Could I fight them in turn? I dug for power from the Bennett Talisman and flooded my thread with power.

Whatever was keeping me from seeing the other side broke apart and I saw the image. My father's house from the distance and the image was shaky, tearing apart at the edges. I kept filling myself with power and pushing into thread, making it so that image was clearer and zooming into the house.

I hit a wall and I couldn't get through at all.

I tried again but there was still this space blocking me. An idea hit me. If I couldn't get through with my connection, then could I hitch the one that was tracking me? How would I even do that?

I stopped fuelling my thread and turned to the other. Could I break it? Feeling out the connection I tried to cut it. Imagine cutting it. Imagined fuelling power into a cut and intone the only spell disrupter I knew but nothing happen.

I was being tracked and there was nothing I could do about it. I let go and went back into the real world.

"What's going on?" asked Jeremy.

"I'm being tracked," I said. "Can't be Bonnie because I don't think she's mastered connections well enough to be able to block me. Another witch? Powerful enough to keep me off and watching us right now."

"What would another witch be doing here?" asked Jeremy. "Should we be worried?"

"Why worry?" asked Tyler.

"Witches and vampire don't have the best of relationships," said Vicki. "Should I call everyone?" She sounded worried.

"It could be some of the guests for Grams' funeral," I said. "Bonnie and I expected some of them to be witches. We didn't expect them to be here so early though."

"I'll call Stefan for safety in the least," said Vicki as she took out her phone. I did the same, quickly texting Bonnie that there might be intruders in our house.

"I should probably go check it out," I said and Jeremy was next to me as I left the house. As I started the car I heard the door open and close, and looking at the rear view mirror I saw Tyler.

Honestly, I felt scared as I drove. I had never gone against a witch before and I could still feel this witch's thread watching me.

We got to my father's house with three cars already in the driveway, the car I didn't recognise parked further in. The two other cars being my father's and Stefan's. Bonnie had already arrived and there wasn't any fighting so that was a plus.

I got out of the car and was immediately flanked by Jeremy and Tyler, much though I liked the security of having the two around, it would have been better if Enzo was around. We started towards the house and I felt the thread shatter.

The door opened and from within came out a tall woman with dark skin and long black hair. Excitement was the first thing I noticed from her, especially as her hands flew to her mouth but then it was overshadowed by surprised.

"Nature's grace you're a guy."

I literally stopped, stricken by shock as the image of this scary threat which had been forming in my mind evaporated. Why would she think I wasn't a guy? I certainly didn't have feminine features.

"Mom," she said, her voice loud. "There's a male Bennett."

Confusion flooded me as I stared at the woman.

"Who are you?" I finally asked, the most pertinent question.

"Lucy," she said. "Your cousin, I guess." She turned into the house, looking at someone who looked roughly like Bonnie. "Are you sure he's not adopted?" she asked.

"I'm not adopted," I said just as Bonnie said the same on the other side.

"Wow," said Lucy.

"Makes sense that she was hiding this," I heard as I got closer. The voice was older, a woman and for a second I thought it might have been Grams. "It would garner attention," the woman said.

Lucy shook her head. "Witch politics," she said. "So stuck on tradition these people. Come in. All of you. We swear we won't kill any of you," the last was said with a particular look at both Jeremy and Tyler.

"It doesn't work that way," I said, my mind still abuzz with confusion.

"Don't worry about it," said Lucy with a lazy wave of the hand. "I set up this spell that made a temporary dimension that's the exact replica of the house. It's my space so I can affect who comes and goes."

My mind stopped. The confusion was gone and instead I was geeking out. How did that work? What did it mean for the physical manifestation of the house? How long did it take her to set something like that up? How had I not known about something like that? Wait, there was. The Other Side. Was this a smaller version of something to that extent? If we were cousins could she teach me to do that spell?

"What's wrong with him?" I absently heard.

"It's what happens when you don't gently introduce him to a spell," I also heard Bonnie mutter, her voice cutting through better into my thoughts. "Micah," she said a little louder and I was jerked out of my thoughts. "Come in. It seems we have family Grams never told us about."

Her tone told me that it was a fact she didn't quite like.

The three of us entered.


AN: Finally the witches have arrived. It's not really been a long time, but since I wanted to make this story witch orientated, twenty seven chapters is stretching it a lot. I got the feel that Bonnie and Micah are a little bit overpowered for people just learning about magic, but then again I didn't understand why the witches from the show put up with how the vampires in the shows treated them. But as of right now the truly old vampires haven't arrived but the few that there are-Mainly Anna-have shown they've been around long enough to be able to go around spells. Which might be the reason. This, I hope, will be the running theme. Hopefully I will be able to write smart characters that will be able to fight off witches and the major power that they have.

I'm not sure when I'll next update. I was able to do these chapters between the small instances I had as a break from studying, but I'm finding this story is the easiest to write as I'm basing this on what I think I would do in certain situations and there's a lot of inspiration to draw from the show. So the update might come pretty soon.

I hope you enjoy the story and if there are any suggestions for anything you want in the story, or any loopholes you might come up with for the spells which have been cast in the show, leave a review and I'll incorporate them into the story. I'm in desperate need of the last, especially loopholes that don't require one to be a witch.

Thanks for reading through all this.